Ford Valencia Workers Making Better Moves
The use of sensors in the auto industry is not just related to the development of ADAS systems.
Gary S. Vasilash
Editor-in-Chief, AutoBeat Group
Australia’s Bolwell Plans Lightweight Supercar
Australia’s Bolwell Corp. is developing a new supercar to unveil at the Motorclassica classic car in Melbourne this autumn.
Desay to Open Autonomous-Vehicle Test Center in Singapore
China’s Desay SV Automotive Ltd. is opening a research and development center in Singapore that will focus on Level 4/5 autonomous vehicle, connectivity and cybersecurity systems.
Caterpillar Invests in Fisker
Caterpillar Inc.’s venture capital subsidiary has made an unspecified investment in California-based electric vehicle startup Fisker Inc.
Supplier Study and 2025
"We remain committed to the ethos of our founder, Sir Harry Ricardo, who in 1915 set out on a mission to ‘maximize efficiency and eliminate waste.’”
Dana to Buy Swiss Driveline Business
Dana Inc. has agreed to buy the Drive Systems segment of Switzerland’s Oerlikon Group for 600 million francs ($600 million).
Honeywell to Rebrand Turbo Unit as Garrett
Honeywell International Inc. will rename its turbocharger business as Garrett when it spins off the unit later this year.
Anticipating the Future
Autonomy, connectivity and electrification are things that OEMs and suppliers are making non-trivial commitments to.
Harley to Develop Electric Motorcycles with Alta Motors
Harley-Davidson Inc. has made an unspecified investment in Brisbane, Calif.-based Alta Motors to help it further develop and launch an all-electric motorcycle in 2019.
Australian Mining Company Expands Autonomous Truck Fleet
Mining and metals giant Rio Tinto Group plans to retrofit 60 trucks with autonomous driving technology to grow its self-driving fleet in western Australia to 140 vehicles by the end of 2019.
PSA Launches Transmission Venture in India
PSA Group has partnered with India powertrain supplier Avtec Ltd. to build transmissions at rates as great as 200,000 per year.
Denso Invests in Lidar Developer
Denso Corp. has made an unspecified investment in Trilumina Corp., an Albuquerque, N.M.-based company that specializes in solid-state lidar (light detection and ranging) and other laser-based technologies.
Mustang Passes “Go” In New Monopoly Game
The Ford Mustang muscle car will be one of the six playing pieces in the 2016 edition of Hasbro’s Monopoly Empire, a spinoff of the classic Monopoly board game.
Motiv Engines Unveils Updated Split-Cycle Engine
Motiv Engines LLC says the latest version of its so-called Clarke-Brayton cycle engine is twice as efficient as a gasoline powerplant and has 20% greater efficiency than a modern diesel.
Making It in America
Last week at an Applied Materials plant in Austin, TX, President Barack Obama told the assembled, “After shedding jobs for a decade, our manufacturers have added now about 500,000 new manufacturing jobs over the past three years. That’s good news. Caterpillar is bringing jobs back from Japan, and Ford is bringing jobs back from Mexico. And after placing plants in other countries like China, Intel is opening its most advanced plant right here at home. This year, Apple started making Macs in America again. Outside the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan, where Ford invested $555-million, in part, to capacitize the plant to build the Ford Fusion, which is also being built in the company’s plant in Mexico. “So there are some good trend lines there, but we've got to do everything we can to strengthen that trend. We've got to do everything we can to help the kind of high-tech manufacturing that you're doing right here at Applied. And we want to make sure it takes root here in Austin and all across the country. And that means, first of all, creating more centers of high-tech manufacturing. “Last year, we launched our first manufacturing innovation institute in Youngstown, Ohio, to develop new technologies and equip workers with the skills required to master 3-D printing techniques. And in my State of the Union address, I called on Congress to set up 15 more of these manufacturing hubs all across America, and I said that my administration was going to go ahead and move forward with three new hubs on our own, even without congressional action. “Well, today, we're launching a competition for those hubs. We are looking for businesses and universities that are willing to partner together to help their region -- help turn their region into global centers of high-tech jobs. Because we want the next revolution in manufacturing to be ‘Made in America.’ We’re going to do that.” Regardless of who you voted, for, we can undoubtedly all agree that making things in America is absolutely essential for the well being of our economy.
Gary S. Vasilash
Editor-in-Chief, AutoBeat Group
U.S. Army Pursues One-Fuel Strategy for Piston Engines
One long-standing objective of the U.S.
Owners Less Satisfied with Heavy-Truck Engines
The technology required to meet U.S. diesel emission standards is causing more engine problems and less owner satisfaction among Class 8 truck owners, according to J.D.
IT for the Aftermarket
Information technology (IT) can have a big impact on the important area of aftermarket parts.
Powertrain Machining Approaches—Then & Now
Although production volumes are going up, the need for flexibility in powertrain machin-ing has grown more important. Here’s a look at how things have changed.
CATERPILLAR REINVENTS THE LEAD-ACID BATTERY
Lead-acid batteries haven’t changed much since 1859.
